Huckitta is a pallasite meteorite recovered in 1937 from Huckitta Cattle Station in the Northern Territory of Australia.

History

In 1924 a meteoritic mass of 1084 g was found by Herbert Basedow on Burt Plain (23°33'S, 133°52'E), about 17 km north of Alice Springs. This mass was called Alice Springs. In July 1937, the main mass of 1411.5 kg was recovered by Cecil Madigan at Huckitta (22°22'S, 135°46'E). Over 900 kg of iron shale was also found. The Alice Springs meteorite was then paired with the main mass and considered a transported fragment. Today the location of the site where the main mass was found is on Arapunya Cattle Station, which had been part of Huckitta Cattle Station but was excised from it after the meteorite had been recovered.

Composition and classification

It is a pallasite related to Main Group of pallasites. This pallasite is severely weathered: almost all of the metal is highly oxidized and transformed mainly into maghemite and goethite, and the olivine crystals are often altered. Sometimes it is called an anomalous Main Group pallasite because, compared to other Main Group pallasites, it has rather high Ge and Ga contents, higher Pt, W, Ir, and lower Au content.

Specimens